Using analyst stock recommendations issued between January 1996 and December 2006 we show that the odds for female financial analysts to issue optimistic investment advice is 40% lower than for male analysts. Although 17% of our sample of analysts is female, 48% is employed by a top financial institution and for them the odds to issue optimistic recommendations are 16% lower than their male colleagues. The odds are even 30% lower than their female counterparts at non-top institutions. The observed gender heterogeneity cannot be attributed to differences in the risk characteristics of recommended stocks, experience or task complexity.